About thirteen years ago I did an asparagus growth chart in the mud room of a home in Shavertown,Pa. The family has documented the date and growth of their four children - from the time they could stand by themselves, to the height to which they've matured. I recently completed another asparagus - fresh for charting growth - on a piece of wood which can be taken with this new family of three should they ever move.

Today I delivered a framed giclee to Matt who is in from Haiti to decompress at his cottage retreat. He's heading back to work in Haiti for the Red Cross and showed me some amazing photos he's taken. You can check out his site at http://matthewmarek.photoshelter.com/

On Saturday I had the delight of driving into NYC to deliver the commissioned painting "Release" which Lindsay gave her husband Justin as a wedding present. Although I lived in the city for five years... I never drove in it, so it was a new experience topped with lunch with old friends from the Art Students League, Yumiko and Jerry.

Me with Ken MarquisAcrylic on Canvas paintingsMe with Catherine Cullen of Scranton

Scenes from the opening on Friday September 16, 2011 at Marquis in Wilkes-Barre. Attendents were greeted with a saxaphone musician compliments of Ken Marquis. After the flood evacuation the prior week, it was the arts that breathed freshness and hope into the city.

Scranton was alive and very well for First Friday. A new gallery is on the scene - New Visions Studio and Gallery at 201 Vine Street Scranton which had a juried show the theme being 'Family Ties'. I entered a piece I did in 2000 which the investigated my fear of life without my dad.

Yesterday I hung some new pieces in a beautiful home in Shavertown. Val said 'my house is an open canvas' as there were many blank walls begging for some original art work. She picked a pair of salt and pepper shaker paintings for the dining area and a stretched butterfly silk painting for the den. She and her husband commissioned me to do two pieces for their spacious living room - one of a ginkgo and one of lupine - both images have symbolic significance to their life together with their three beautiful kids.

This is the motto of the Art Students League in New York City where I went every day for four years. It was my world - everyone was enthralled with learning everything they could about art. We all drew from the model religiously. When in a "slump" I'm reminded by several artists friends to .... just draw. It soothes me - takes the pressure off and almost always leads me to a better connection with ideas that need to be nurtured into paintings.
Here are some sketches from my moleskin sketchbook - I have been pretty good at a drawing a day......

Yesterday I added fairies and birds to Tess's freshly painted pink/ orange room. She was very intent that the fairies and birds sing to her which her dad promised would happen as she fell asleep. Her big sister Sophia was great support as I was painting and even let me borrow a dab of her newly aquired black acrylic paint - thanks Phia!!!!

Here's a studio shot of two 4ft x 4ft paintings I recently did. Coffee cup - May your cup runneth over in 2011! And Salt and Pepper. Both are stretched and hanging on the entrance to the Benco Headquarters cafeteria called "Kitty's Kitchen".

The Wall Street Journal Personal Section says the New Hue for 2011 is Honeysuckle Pink. According to the article it may be because people need some optimism and want to look through rose colored glasses - I'm all for that!
I must have been on to something because that's the color I chose for the bamboo scarves I painted for my neices this Christmas.

Nickolas loves and recites everything there is to know about owls. He picked this theme for his room and also picked some powerful words which I put on the ribbon in the owls mouth. The words being: leader, journey and wisdom - I would say he may like owls because he's one wise youngster!

Piper had an lovely room transformed into a magical arena for her imagination to soar with flying fairies and dragonflies painted all around her room in soothing light pink and green yesterday. Her big brothers Tristan and Nicholas are now thinking they need some equal attention in their rooms with perhaps images of the Beatles and/or their guitars.